**this article in no way describes the complete aspects of Chilean history, it is a helpful overview of specific events that have contributed to the political unrest**
From Uncertainty to Prosperity and Back Again: The Chilean Protests
Chile’s history has been a tumultuous one without a doubt. It is a country that is full of rich culture, history, and food from its prized texts by Pablo Neruda and Isabelle Allende to their delicious Chori-Pan which is part of the immense culinary repertoire of the region. Nevertheless, although seemingly calm, the waters which culminate in this country's past and present are surprisingly turbulent.
To understand the current conflicts, one has to acknowledge the difficulties that started early in the 20th century with the First World War. Latin America is often overlooked when it comes to these global conflicts, but many countries have played a pivotal role in the events. More specifically, the export of nitrates in 1914 led to growing unrest in Chile, and as time passed, the military started growing weary of the government claiming that it was not providing the strength and decisiveness needed to pull the country out of their dire situation. From 1924 to 1964 the country was growing increasingly polarized between the left and the right-wing parties. However, in 1970 the politics took an extreme turn when Socialist Salvador Allende was elected as president. He made many reforms like the nationalization of industries, but this exhausted foreign currency reserves. He also started significant agrarian reforms which unfortunately led to great debt causing a great income deficit. Chile--being a country that is greatly reliant on the mining industry--was also greatly affected when the global price of copper fell. With inflation and food shortages becoming prevalent in the region, the truckers strike of October 1972 was the drop of water that made the glass spill, leading to the military coup of 1973 led by Augusto Pinochet. A dictatorship ensued in which the military roamed the streets and Pinochet held the country down with a firm grip going as far as introducing secret police by the name of DINA. Sometimes referred to as Pinochet’s Gestapo, DINA persecuted political opponents and took extreme actions in order to repress and oppress people that challenged his rule. According to the Rettig Commission and the Valech Commission, the number of victims of Chile’s human rights violation culminated in around 30,000 people with 27,255 being tortured and 2,279 being executed. Furthermore, around 200,000 people were exiled and an unknown number of citizens were held under surreptitious detention. Nevertheless, it is unreasonable to deny the economic growth that followed Pinochet’s positioning as the leader of Chile. In the beginning, not only did inflation rates slow, but employment rates increased. As the country was on an economic roller coaster, Pinochet drew up a new constitution in 1980 which appointed him as leader until 1988.
Time passed and when this long-awaited date arrived, the people were allowed to decide what type of government would rule them, thus opting out of the stringent military rule. Following this unthinkable change, the elections of 1989 resulted in Patricio Aylwin as president. Chile’s economy became increasingly strong and the results of their tempestuous history gave fruits. Chile became one of the most developed countries in Latin America leading in safety, economic security, health, and education.
Most people agreed that Chile’s foreseeable future was bright, making it a role model for the other developing countries in the region. However, flash forward to 2019 and the president, Sebastian Piñera announced the increase of the metro prices. Being the spark that lit the fire, hundreds of Chileans took to the streets as they expressed their growing discontent with the government. The riots started by boycotting the public transportation system, but it soon escalated to the burning of subway stations and growing violence between civilians and law enforcement. Although the increase in metro prices was the detonator of the unrest, the civilians partaking in the protests claimed that their intentions were to force the resignation of the president due to the “famine and inequality of the country,” according to news magazine Al Día. This claim is backed up by information provided by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean which estimates that 1% of the Chilean population controls 26.5% of the wealth in the country. Inequality impulsed the protests but said disputes were what pushed President Piñera to impose strict curfew and increase military presence in the region. This was received with great fear by the Chilean people because it assimilated to the era of the Pinochet dictatorship further angering the public and increasing the turmoil. It comes without saying that the economy was deeply affected. Foreign investors became wary of directing their investments to this once-prosperous country. The GDP halted its growth around 3-3.5% and Juan Pablo Swett, the president of the Latin America Entrepreneurs Association, claimed that around 500,000 jobs were at stake meaning that Chile reached its highest unemployment rate since the 1980s. Because of this, the study center Clapes which is affiliated to the Universidad Catolica de Chile stated that economic uncertainty escalated 94% in comparison to the past year.
Like the eternal recycling of Aurelianos in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Chilean history seems to be going round in circles as the same patterns of the past are repeated; the COVID-19 pandemic has not aided the situation, further making the country's difficulties more prominent. Nevertheless, matters as complex as this—which are often intertwined with history— will only be resolved as the country strikes a balance between the fundamental rights of civilians and the duty of government leaders. By doing so, they will achieve a dynamic in which civilian concerns are heard and valued without the need for violence which will lead to greater prosperity.
Written By: Carolina Mejia Rodriguez
Comments